Kyle Van De Water wins New York GOP primary to challenge Rep. Antonio Delgado

Army veteran Kyle Van De Water on Tuesday was declared the winner of New York’s Republican primary in the 19th District last month, and will challenge first-term Rep. Antonio Delgado (D) in November.

Van De Water, an attorney and an army veteran, won with 57.5 percent of the vote, triumphing over Ola Hawatmeh, a fashion designer, according to The Associated Press.

The primary took place on June 23 but a surge in mailed ballots delayed the results. A number of other close races remain undecided.

Van De Water will face Delgado in November. The incumbent was unopposed within his party. Nonpartisan election handicapper The Cook Political Report rates the race as “lean Democratic.”

Delgado defeated then-Rep. John Faso (R) in 2018 by just over 5 points. Trump won the district over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016 by 7 points.

New York’s primaries were originally scheduled for April 28, but were moved to June 23 because of the coronavirus pandemic.